Edict of Worms

The Edict of Worms was issued by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor on May 29, 1521 at Worms, at the end of the Diet of Worms. It contained a condemnation of Martin Luther and declared him to be an outlaw and a heretic for his opposition to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Among other things, this ruling permitted anyone to kill Luther without suffering legal consequence, and the property of Luther's followers and supporters could be seized by force. Luther was, however, charged to go along the passage across the Holy Roman Empire and thus returned to Wittenberg where he was protected by the Elector Friedrich until 1522 when he felt compelled to return from his exile there to defend his views in the context of the revolution they had caused.